Non-interfering fire and police telegraph system



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

L. H. MGGULLOUGH.

NON-INTERFERING FIRE AND POLICETELEGRAPH SYSTEM.

No. 329,189. Patented Oct. 27, 1885.

N. PETERS, Phuln-Lilhngraphar, Wauhingtan, u.c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.. L. H. MGOULLOUGH.

NON-INTERFERING FIRE AND POLICE TELEGRAPH SYSTEM.

No. 329,189. Patented Oct. 2'7, 1885.

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LEWIS H. MOGULLOUGH, or RICHMOND, INDIANA.

NON -INTERFERING FIRE AND POLICE TELEGRAPH SYSTEM} SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 329,189, dated October. 27, 1885. Application filed April 1, 1885. S erial No. 160,938. (N 0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIs HJVIOOULLOUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Wayne and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Non-Interfering Fire and Police Telegraph Systems; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. L

In an application for Letters Patent filed by me on the 5th day of August, 1884., I describe an arrangement of circuits for fire-alarm telegraph systems and a central-office apparatus by means of which it is made impossible to send in two alarms of fire'at the same time, and thereby produce a false or confused signal. In another application filed on the same date I show and describe an improved: multiple signal-box which is provided with circuit-con- 'trollers for sending at willeither firealarm signals or signals for police, police-patrols, 850.

The invention described in my present application is in some sense a combination of my two former inventions; and it consists of a system of circuits andapparatus whereby the operation of either circuit controller in my multiple signal-box or of both of them simultaneously will actuate separate receiving apparatus without interference, and whereby absolute non-interference is also secured with regard to signals of the same class in whatever order the circuit-controllers are operated. In the case of signals of the same class-asfirealarm signalsif two ormoreare rung in at the same time or in immediate succession, all

but one will be shut out until that one is received. In the case of signals of different kindsas fire and police or fire and policepatrol signals-if two are rung in simultaneously or'successively, both will be received in part thesame fire-alarm and police or po- .and I lead another wire from the opposite pole through gong and bell magnets in engine houses and bell-towers, and arrange a number of open-circuit signal-boxesain multiple-arc relation between these wires. I also provide apparatus. at a central station adapted to be lice-patrol signals by such means that the sig actuated by the operation of any signal-boxin such a manner as to out every other signalboX out of the circuit. The central office apparatus, besides cutting out all the boxes exceptthe one first operated, causes a hand to point to the number of that box. I prefer on this account to callthc central-office apparatus an indicating apparatus or indicator.

In my present system I have precisely the same arrangement of circuits, gong and bell magnets, signal-boxes, and indicating apparabus; but I have, in addition to this, a similar system for police telegraphy, with a separate battery, loop, and receiving apparatus, but with the same return-circuits. The only extra wire that is required for the combined fire and police telegraph besides 'theloop is that necessary for connecting the indicators in the fire and police headquarters.

In the drawings which illustrate my invention and form a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents my system as a whole; and Fig.2 shows a portion of a signal-box, together with the electrical connections within the same. i

Referring to the drawings by letter, IV is the battery for operating the fire-telegraph system, andX is the loop which runs out from and back to the same pole of the battery. Z is the wire that leads from the opposite pole of the battery, and it passes, as shown,through engine-houses and bell-towers, as Y- and R, which are provided with suitable receiving bell-towers it passes to the hand B of the centraloffice apparatus, which is mounted on a suitable frame. The hand B is normally held from rotatingin the direction of the arrow'by a conducting-stop, d, which isattachedto thearmature of the magnet E in such a manner as to be normally held out in the path of the hand when the said magnet is not energized.

dial is provided with a series of slots, (1, each of which is substantially at right angles to that radius of the dial which passes through its.

center. The ,armatures H of the magnets F have extensions 70, which project into the slots (1, and normally lie therein with their ends flush, or nearly so,with the dial-face.- Whenever any magnet 13 is energized, it thrusts-forward the extension is of its armature into the pathof the hand B. The extensionk of every armature is normally pressed by .a spring, :h, into that end of its slot a which is first reached by the hand B in its rotation. Inpressing the extension it into that end of theslot the spring i also presses it against the platinum point a on the condnctingarm m,whic h is attached to the frame of the dial.

- Tracing the circuit, now, from that pole of the battery to which it is connected, it passes through'X in two.directions,.and by wires It to one terminal, 0, of a circuit-closer in every signal-box. (See'Fig.2.) From-theotherterminal, c, the circuit continues by wires 1 to binding-posts p,- by wires 2 .to insulated plates 0 o and their connecting-plugs; by wires 4 to extensions k, to platinum pointsn toeonducting-arms m; by wires. 5 to magnets ,F; by wires 6 to common point r; by wire 7 to releasingmagnet Erby wire 8 ,to conducting-stop d, to hand or pointer B, and by wire'Z through the gong and bell magnets to the opposite pole of the battery.

It will be observed that the magnet E is common to all the box-circuits,while the mag- 0 only that magnet F will be energized whichj nets F are each in the circuitiof adifferent connected to the particular box that is operated. Suppose, for example, that the circuit;

closer of box 23 is set in operation. At th firstclosure of the circuit the magnet E will withdraw the stop or detent d and release the handor pointer B, and the magnet F, which is connected with box 23, will cause itse'xtension k to proj ect intolthe pathof the hand and stop its rotation. At the same time-the first stroke of 23 will be made on the gongs and bells. Now, the driving-spring (not show-n)of the hand B is made considerably strongerthan the springs hh, in consequence whereof the extension'lc will be pushed away from'the platinum n to the opposite .end of the slot a,

thereby breaking the circuitof all the box- 7 magnets. The circuit of magnet Eis broken when the hand leaves the stop (1. After the hand has reached the extension 70, connected with box 23, and pushed it away from the point a, there is no circuit for any other box, whereas that box will have a complete circuit through the gong and bell magnets whenever itsown circuit-closeracts. Thus all the strokes of 23, except the first, will be sounded through a circuit which passes directly from one of the extensions k is, through the hand B, and back to battery by the coursealready described.

It is understood, of course, that the firealarm circuit-closer in' each box is adapted to close the circuit -a definite number of times corresponding to the number of the box. The tension of the driving-spring is made such that the hand B will be carried to the extension is farthest around the dial before the second closure'of the circuit at. the box. 7

Ashas been fullyset :forth in the application forLetters Patent above referred to, this system of fire telegraphy isabsolutely non-inter fering. Both the original and the secondary circuits traverse the hand B. As soon, therefore, as'the hand has left, the stop d, there is no circuit for any box except one that has alreadybeen operated. Moreover, in case two boxes should be operated at the same time, .the handwould be mechanicallyobstructed from passing tov the extension is which was farthest around the dial until the nearest extensionk had been pushed back after the receipt of its box-signal. The extension is willbe held in its forward position by the force of the spring h, pushing it against the end of .the hand B. Alter the signal has been .sent in, the extension 10 will be restored by hand or by automatic mechanism, as desired.

The plates 0 o are ordinary metallic insulated plates attached to aboard or frame at a though the number of slots in the dial at the left is represented .as somewhat greater than that.

entral office, which board or frame also sup- The'signalboxes are placed,.as usual, in different -parts of a city or village, and ach connected with one of the magnets F and with the magnet E. The magnets F and E being operated .simultaneously, the end-of extension kwill always be out in position to engage the hand B as soon as it comes along.

it will be seen that the signal-boxes 17 2 &c., are each connected intwo directions with one pole of the batterya feature by virtue of which no box is cutout unless the circuit is broken on both sides thereof. If preferred,

a loop may be run from each binding-post p to a separate box, whereby each box will have double connections with each battery-pole. An accidental closure of the circuit, as by the falling of a loose wire across both X and Z, or by the contact of both those wires simultaneously with telephone or telegraph wires or other grounded conductors, will sound one stroke on the gongs and bells, and cause the hand B to point to that number on the dialface which corresponds to the number of the precinct where the disturbance has taken place. The point of disturbance having been once located, it will not be difficult either by night or day to take proper measures for removing its cause.

This constitutes substantially the invention which is covered by my application first mentioned.

Besides this invention, the drawings illustrateanoil-interferingpolice-telegraph system, the operation of which is precisely the same, although it is provided with a different generator and different receiving apparatus. For convenience,I shall call the wires Z Z the return-circuits of the boxes. Starting, now, from one pole of the battery WV, I lead aloop, X, as before, in a circuit back to the same pole, and from the opposite pole I lead a wire, Z through a tap-bell magnet, 12, to the hand of the dial located at the police-headquarters. The connections behind the dial are exactly the same as those illustrated at the right of the drawings, wires being run in the same manner from the extensions 70 to the plates 0 o.

- From here the circuit goes back to the loop X by way of the wires 3, bindingposts P, and wires 2 to the corresponding wires, 2, and from there to the signal-boxes over the routes already described. Within the signalboxes the connections are as shown in Fig. 2that is, (for the police-telegraph,) by wire Z to the wheel terminal 6, and by spring terminal 6 and wire 15 to the binding-post f. This binding-post is connected by wire t to the loop X.

it will be seen that the return-circuits for the fire and the police telegraphs are for the most part identical. They do not begin to diverge until the central office of the fire-telegraph system is reached, aud as this is nearly always in close proximity to the police-headquarters, where the other apparatus is located, it is evident that Very little more wire is required for operating my non-interfering fire and police telegraphs than would be required for either alone.

The police-telegraph system, being constructed on precisely the same principles as the fire-alarm-telegraph system already described, will be, like that, absolutely non-interfering. It remains to note that the two systems do not interfere with each other. Suppose,for example,that both circuit-closers in box 23 should be operated at the same time. The outgoing circuit for, the fire telegraph system would be through either branch of the loop X and the wire 15. The outgoing'circuit for the police telegraph system would be through either branch of the loop X and the wires t and 25 The returncircuit for both systems would be the wire Z as far. as the binding-post p, but would divide a little beyond that point, the current from battery W passing on through the magnets F and E of the fire-alarm indicator, and serving to operate the gongs and bells, as above described, and the current from battery W passing simi larly through the apparatus in the policeheadquarters and sounding a definite alarm on the tap-bell o.

It is clear that the battery W cannot operate the police-alarm signal, as it can find no return through the policeoffice indicator. Similarly, the battery W cannot operate the fire-alarm apparatus. For my police-alarm signal-wheel I have shown a wheel having circuitclosing teeth arranged in three groups of two. In practice I shall have two or more wheels, differently toothed, on the same shaft, and shall provide means for moving either wheel into line with the spring-terminal e. Signals corresponding to the number of the teeth are sounded on the tap-bell 1;, while the hand B points to the number of the box from which the signal is sent in.

Both the signal-wheels c and c are connected to the return-wire Z. The spring'terminals c and e are connected to the different loops, X and X.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. The combination, with two generators, each having a conductor running in :a circuit from one of its poles back to the same pole, of two or more circuitclosers in multiple-arc relation between each of the said conductors and the opposite pole of the corresponding generator, the return-circuits being for the most part common, but dividing at some convenient point or points, and passing to the respective generators through separate receiving apparatus, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with two batteries, one designed to operate a system for sending one class of signals and the other a system for sending another class of signals, and each having a conductor running in a circuit from one of its poles back to the same pole, of two or more circuit-closers, each representing its own class of signals in multiple-arc relation 

